Rear seat support structure and storage box of motorcycle

ABSTRACT

A motorcycle with a rear spoiler and a storage box. A rear spoiler is provided with a through hole adapted to directly apply the load of a rear seat to the rear seat support portion. A portion of the storage box is allowed to face the through-hole, forming the rear seat support portion. The bottom plate of the rear seat is abutted against the rear seat support portion to support the load of the rear seat. A labyrinth structure seals between the storage box and the rear spoiler. The first seal member attached to the rear seat seals between the rear spoiler and the rear seat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to JapanesePatent Application Nos. 2006-351344 filed on Dec. 27, 2006 and2007-242842 filed on Sep. 19, 2007 the entire contents thereof arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a motorcycle in which a storage box isprovided below a rear seat and a rear spoiler is provided between thestorage box and the rear seat.

2. Description of Background Art

A motorcycle is known wherein a storage box, or a stuff box, is providebelow a rear seat and a rear spoiler is provided between the storage boxand the rear seat. See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No.2001-105672 (FIG. 23).

In FIG. 23 of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-105672, an assist grip96 (also called a rear spoiler 96) is provided above a storage box 23 asa stuff box and a rear seat 73 is fixedly put on the rear spoiler 73.(Reference numerals set forth in Japanese Patent Laid-open No.2001-105672 are used only in the following description.) The rear seat73 is mounted at its front end portion to the storage box 23 with mailscrews 73 f and attachment nuts 100. In other words, the load of therear seat 73 is carried by the rear spoiler 96.

The rear spoiler 96 is made of metal. If the rear spoiler 96 is formedwith a rear seat support portion to receive the load of the rear seat73, unpreferably the rear spoiler 96 is increased in weight. Inaddition, when the rear seat 73 is fixedly screwed to the storage box23, an attachment boss of a screw may project into a storage space insome cases. The projection of the attachment boss into the storage box23 unpreferably reduces the storage space of the storage box 23.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide amotorcycle that can suppress an increase in the weight of a rear spoilerand that can reduce the storage space of a storage box.

According to of an embodiment of the present invention, a motorcycleincludes a rear seat which is disposed rearward of a front seat and onwhich a pillion passenger sits with a rider sitting on the front seat. Astorage box as a stuff box is provided below the rear seat with a rearspoiler provided between the storage box and the rear seat. The storagebox is provided with a rear seat support portion supporting the load ofthe rear seat. The rear spoiler is provided with an engaging portionengageable with an extension extending rearwardly from a bottom plate ofthe rear seat with the rear seat support portion and the engagingportion allow the rear seat to be mounted to a vehicle side.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rear spoilerextends forward of the rear seat support portion and is provided with athrough-hole adapted to directly apply the load of the rear seat to therear seat support portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a labyrinthstructure seals between the storage box and the rear spoiler, and afirst seal member provided for the rear seat seals between the rearspoiler and the rear seat, is located to substantially overlap thelabyrinth structure as viewed from above and extends closer to a vehiclebody center side than the rear seat support portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first sealmember is disposed rearwardly of the engaging portion in terms of thevehicle body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the front seat andthe rear seat are formed separately from each other with a rear endportion of the front seat being disposed to join to a front end portionof the rear seat. Sealing is made below the joint portion with a jointline between the rear end portion of the front seat and the front endportion of the rear seat being formed in an approximate W-shape.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rear portion ofthe front seat is provided integrally with a backrest portion whichprojects upwardly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage box isprovided with the rear seat support portion for supporting the load ofthe rear seat. The rear spoiler is provided with the engaging portionadapted to engage the extension extending rearwardly from the bottomplate of the rear seat. The load of the rear seat is supported by therear seat support portion and the extension of the rear seat is allowedto engage the rear spoiler.

Since the rear spoiler does not receive the load of the rear seat, thestructure of the rear spoiler can be made simple to suppress an increasein the weight of the rear spoiler.

Since the rear spoiler is provided with the engaging portion engageablewith the extension extending rearward from the bottom plate of the rearseat, the storage box does not need a portion such as a boss or the likeadapted to engage the rear seat. Thus, the rear seat can be mountedwhile suppressing a reduction in the storage space of the storage box.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the rearspoiler extends forward of the rear seat support portion, the externalappearance of the vehicle can further be enhanced. In addition, sincethe rear spoiler is provided with the through-hole adapted to directlyapply the load of the rear seat to the rear seat support portion, theexternal appearance and the functionality of the vehicle can becompatible with each other.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the labyrinthstructure seals between the storage box and the rear spoiler, and thefirst seat member attached to the rear seat seals between the rearspoiler and the rear seat and is designed to overlap the labyrinthstructure as viewed from above.

The rear seat is provided with the first seal member, which is pressedagainst the rear spoiler for sealing. In addition, the labyrinthstructure is provided between the storage box and the rear spoiler so asto substantially overlap the first seal member as viewed from above.Thus, not only the sealing performance between the storage box and therear spoiler can be ensured but the sealing performance between the rearseat and the rear spoiler can further be enhanced. This can effectivelyenhance the seal performance between the rear seat and the storage box.

Further, since the first seal member is designed to extend closer to thecentral side of the vehicle body than the rear seat support portion, thesealing performance between the rear seat and the storage box cansatisfactorily be maintained while the storage box supports the rearseat.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the engagingportion is provided inside the first seal member with the rear seatsupport portion being provided outside the first seal member. Thelabyrinth structure is provided near the first seal member. Thus, astable sealing performance can be provided between the rear seat and thestorage box.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the joint linebetween the rear end portion of the front seat and the front end portionof the rear seat is formed in an approximate W-shape as viewed fromabove the vehicle. Therefore, the meshing between the front seat and therear seat is satisfactory and the relative position between the frontseat and the rear seat can be stabilized. Since the relative positionbetween the seats is stabilized, the sealing performance between thestorage box and the seats can be further stabilized.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rear portion ofthe front seat is provided integrally with the backrest portion whichprojects upwardly, so that the pillion passenger can grip the backrestportion with her or his thighs.

Since the upper surface of the backrest portion against which the thighsare abutted is formed as a single wide surface, comfort for the pillionpassenger is enhanced to further enhance amenity.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a left lateral view of a motorcycle according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a left lateral view of the rear portion of the motorcycleaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a right lateral view of the rear portion of the motorcycleaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for assistance in explaining the fact that thebottom of an air clear unit is arranged to be offset from a muffler;

FIG. 5 is a diagram as viewed from arrow 5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view for assistance in explaining a rear seat-belowopening portion and its peripheral portion;

FIG. 7 is a plan view for assistance in explaining a front seat-belowopening portion and its peripheral portion;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated with referencenumeral 11 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view for assistance in explainingcomponents attached to the storage box from above according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 is an operation diagram for assistance in explaining the factthat a front seat is provided on a storage box in an openable andclosable manner and a rear seat is provided in a removable manner;

FIG. 16 is a lateral view of a radiator unit provided for the motorcycleaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the radiator unit provided for themotorcycle according to the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion denoted with reference numeral18 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view for assistance in explaining a pivotportion of the motorcycle according to the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view for assistance in explaining amechanism for holding the pivot portion of the motorcycle according tothe present invention;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view for assistance in explaining anarrangement of an audio-operating unit included in the motorcycleaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a storage box according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 24 illustrates another one of the embodiment show in FIG. 16;

FIGS. 25( a) and 25(b) include an embodiment view and a comparativeexample view for assistance in explaining a joint line between a frontseat and a rear seat; and

FIGS. 26( a) and 26(b) include views for assistance in explaining anembodiment and a comparative example relative to occupant comfortencountered when a pillion passenger sits on the rear seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that thedrawings shall be viewed according to the orientation of referencenumerals.

FIG. 1 is a left lateral view of a motorcycle according to the presentinvention. A motorcycle 10 includes main frames 12L, 12R (only referencenumeral 12L on the front side is shown) extending obliquely rearwardlyand downwardly from the upper portion of a head pipe 11. Down frames13L, 13R (only reference numeral 13L on the front side is shown) extendobliquely rearwardly and downwardly from the lower portion of the headpipe 1 and then toward the almost-downside, lastly rearwardly, and arejoined to the corresponding main frames 12L, 12R. The motorcycle 10further includes seat rails 14L, 14R (only reference numeral 14L on thefront side is shown) extending obliquely rearwardly and downwardly fromthe corresponding rear portions of the main frames 12L, 12R and middleframes 17L and 17R (only reference numeral 17L on the front side isshown) connecting the intermediate points 16L and 16R (only referencenumeral 16L on the front side is shown) of the seat rails 14L and 14Rwith the rear ends of the main frames 12L and 12R, respectively. Themotorcycle 10 further includes rail stays 18L and 18R (only referencenumeral 18L on the front side is shown) connecting the upper portions ofthe middle frames 17L and 17R with the rear portions of the seat rails14L and 14R, respectively; and pivot plates 21L and 21R (only referencenumeral 21L on the front side is shown) spanned between the seat rail18L and the middle frame 17L and between the seat rail 18R and themiddle frame 17R, respectively, so as to support a pivot shaft 19. Themotorcycle 10 further includes a link member 22L and 22R (only referencenumeral 22L on the front side is shown) extending downwardly from thepivot plates 21L, 21R, respectively, via the pivot shaft 19. A powerunit 24 extends rearwardly via the link member 22L, 22R and a supportshaft 23 and also serves as a rear swing arm swingable up and down. Themotorcycle 10 further includes a rear shock absorber 25L spanned betweenthe rear end of the power unit 24 and the seat rail 14L with a rearwheel axle 26 provided at the rear portion of the power unit 24 and alsoserving as a drive shaft. A rear wheel 27 is attached to the rear wheelaxle 26. The motorcycle 10 further includes a storage box 32 mounted tothe seat rails 14L, 14R as constituent elements of the body frame 31. Afront seat 33 covers the front portion 32 a of the storage box 32 and onwhich a rider sits with a rear seat 34 covering the rear portion 32 b ofthe storage box 32 and on which a pillion passenger sits. A rear spoiler35 surrounds the rear seat 34. The motorcycle 10 further includes afront fork 36 steerably attached to the head pipe 11 located on thefront side; a front wheel 38 is attached to the front fork 36 via afront wheel axle 37 with a steering handlebar 41 attached to the upperend of the front fork 36. In addition, the power unit 24 includes anengine 42.

Members spanned between left and right frames are described below.

A fuel tank 43 is disposed in an area defined by the main frames 12L,12R and the down frames 13L, 13R. A first cross member 44 spans betweenthe left and right main frames 12L, 12R and above the fuel tank 43. Asecond cross member 45 spans between the down frames 13L, 13R and belowthe fuel tank 43. A third cross member 46 spans between the left andright seat rails 14L, 14R in the vicinities of the pivot plates 21L,21R. A rear cross member 47 spans between the rear ends of the left andright seat rails 14L, 14R.

A radiator unit 51 adapted to cool the engine 42 is disposed rearwardlyof the front wheel 38 and forward of the down frames 13L, 13R. A coolingliquid reservoir tank 52 is disposed close to the radiator unit 51.

The radiator unit 51 and cooling liquid reservoir tank 52 are detailedlater.

The fuel tank 43 internally includes a fuel pump 53, a strainer 54 and aflow sensor 55. The strainer 54 is disposed below the fuel pump 53 toseparate water and foreign matter such as dust from the fuel in the fueltank 43. The flow sensor 55 detects the amount of the fuel in the fueltank 43.

A front brake unit 56 is provided together with a front disk plate 57,and a front cowl 58 covering the front portion of the vehicle. An innercover 59 is provided for covering the front portion of the vehicleincluding the head pipe 11 and which is provided continuously with thefront cowl 58. A change box 60 is provided together with a main cowl 61covering the sides of the vehicle, a front fender 62, a rear fender 63,an exhaust pipe 64 extending from the power unit 24, a muffler 65 joinedto the rear end of the exhaust pipe 64, a side stand 66, a main stand67, and a secondary air reed valve 68 disposed on the side of the engineand connected to an intake pipe 77 described later.

FIG. 2 is a left lateral view of the rear portion of the motorcycleaccording to the present invention. The power unit 24 including theengine 42 is swingably mounted to the link member 22L via the supportshaft 23.

The power unit 24 includes a transmission unit 71 incorporating a belttype transmission and the engine 42 extending forward from the front endof the transmission unit 21.

The transmission unit 71 incorporates at the front portion thereof anelectronic transmission control motor 72 for controlling the belt typetransmission and a starter motor 73.

The engine 42 is a single cylinder water-cooled 4-cycle engine in whicha cylinder block 74, a cylinder head 75 and a cylinder head cover 76 aremounted to the transmission unit 71 in this order. An air cleaner unit78 is connected to the upper surface of the cylinder head 75 via theintake pipe 77 and the exhaust pipe 64 is connected to the lower surfaceof the cylinder head 75.

A hinge portion 81 is connected to the front end of the storage box 32and the front seat 33 is attached to the hinge portion 81 in an openableand closable manner. Ball joints 82 and 83 are provided at the front end33 a of the front seat 33 and at the front lateral surface 32 s of thestorage box 32, respectively. A dumper unit 84 is slantly spannedbetween the ball joints 82 and 83.

Since the dumper unit 84 is provided between the front seat 33 and thestorage box 32, the front seat 33 can smoothly be opened and closed.

In FIG. 2, a reinforcing plate 85 spans between the main frame 12 andthe down frame 13 with a bracket 86 used to attach the side stand 66thereto, a battery 88 disposed in the lower portion of the storage box32, and a small lid 89 disposed above the battery 88 to separate abattery chamber and the storage box. The small lid 89 is provided in anopenable and closable manner. The battery chamber can store electriccomponents such as e.g. a fuse box and the like as well as the battery88. Since the small lid 89 is provided in an openable and closablemanner, the electric components can be maintained with ease.

FIG. 3 is a right lateral view of the rear portion of the motorcycleaccording to the invention. The motorcycle 10 includes a rear swing arm87 and a rear shock absorber 25R. The rear swing arm 87 extendsrearwardly from the pivot shaft 19 through the link member 22R andsupport shaft 23 so as to be swingable up and down. The rear shockabsorber 25R spans between the rear end of the rear swing arm 87 and theseat rail 14R.

The air cleaner unit 78 which purifies air to be supplied to the rearswing arm 87 is attached to the rear swing arm 87.

An air suction port 91 of the air cleaner unit 78 is disposed at itsfront portion so as to face the front side and to be located forward ofthe silencer 65.

Since the air suction port 91 is disposed forward of the silencer 65 toface the front side, it can be avoid to take in the air warmed by thesilencer 65. In addition, it can be suppressed to suck foreign mattersuch as dust and mud thrown up by the rear wheel 27.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for assistance in explaining the fact that thebottom of the air clear unit is disposed to be offset from the muffler.The bottom 78 b of the air cleaner unit 78 is disposed above the muffler65. The bottom 78 b of the air cleaner unit 78 is disposed to face theoutside.

Since the air cleaner unit 78 is disposed to allow the bottom 78 b toface the outside, the bottom 78 b of the air cleaner unit 78 can bespaced apart from the muffler 65. Much air is passed through a space Sbetween the bottom 78 b and the muffler 65 to reduce the thermalinfluence of the silencer 65 on the air cleaner unit 78.

FIG. 5 is a diagram as viewed from arrow 5 of FIG. 2. The front seat 33is mounted on the seat rails 14L and 14R located to the left and to therear, respectively, to extend from the front toward the rear. The rearseat 34 is disposed rearwardly of the front seat 33 and the rear spoiler35 is disposed to surround the rear seat 34.

FIG. 6 is a plan view for assistance in explaining a rear seat-belowopening portion and its peripheral portion. The rear spoiler 35 has anopening portion almost-rectangular as viewed from above. When the rearseat 34 in FIG. 5 is removed, since the opening portion 92 is providedbelow the rear seat 34, an article can be put in or taken out from thestorage box 32 through the opening portion 92.

A first seal member 94 is provided on a bottom plate 93 of the rear seatto fully extend along the circumferential edge portion 95 of the rearspoiler 35 or of the opening portion 92. Therefore, the first sealmember 94 is pressed against the circumferential edge portion 95 of therear spoiler 35 to seal between the storage box 32 and the outside.

Since the upper surface wall above the storage box rear portion 32 b canbe eliminated to open the upper surface of the storage box rear portion32 b, the storage space of the storage box 32 can be enlarged.

More specifically, the rear spoiler 35 includes an almost-U-shapedportion 96 closed at its rear portion and a bridge portion 97 spannedbetween the front portions of the U-shaped portion 96. A rear seat-belowopening portion 98 as an opening portion 92 is formed inside theU-shaped portion 96 and the bridge portion 97. The bottom plate 93 ofthe rear seat is provided with the first seal member 94 pressed againstthe rear seat-below opening portion 98 for seal.

FIG. 7 is a plan view for assistance in explaining a front seat-belowopening portion and its peripheral portion. A bottom plate 101 of thefront seat is provided with second seal members 102. Among them, asecond seal member 102 provided for the rear portion of the bottom plate101 of the front seat is pressed against the front portion 95 a of thecircumferential edge portion 95 formed around the opening portion 92.Among them, second seal members 102, 102 provided for the left and rightof the bottom plate 101 of the front seat are pressed against a frontseat-below opening portion 114. Thus, the second seal members sealbetween the front seat 33 and the storage box 32.

The second seal members 102 are pressed against the front portion 95 aof the circumferential edge portion 95 included in the front seat-belowopening portion 114 and against the circumferential edge 113 formed atthe opening 112 of the storage box to seal the front seat-below openingportion 114 as the opening 112 of the storage box.

The front portion 95 a of the circumferential edge portion 95 providedin the rear spoiler 35 concurrently seals the rear portion of the frontseat-below opening portion 114 and the front portion of the rearseat-below opening portion 98. Therefore, the seal structure of thestorage box can be simplified.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6. Thefront seat 33 is provided at its rear portion with a backrest portion115 as a back support projecting upwardly. The bottom plate 101 of thefront seat is formed with a recessed portion 116 hollowed upwardly at aportion corresponding to the backrest portion 115. This recessed portion116 receives therein a seat catch member 117 adapted to retain the frontseat 33 on the vehicle side. The seat catch member 117 is disposedinside the second seal members 102 provided on the bottom plate 101 ofthe front seat so as to extend obliquely toward the maximum heightposition of the front seat 33. In FIG. 8, a lock bar 118 is providedthat is adapted to secure the front seat 33 to the seat catch member117.

The seat catch member 117 is disposed inside the second seal members 102attached to the edge of the bottom plate 101 of the front seat. In otherwords, the second seal members 102 are disposed outside the seat catchmember 117. The opening of the storage box 32 can be widened to the rearto ensure the increased area of the front seat-below opening portion 114in FIG. 7. Since the area of the opening portion of the front seat-belowopening portion 114 is increased, an article can further easily be putin and taken out from the storage box.

The recessed portion 116 hollowed upwardly is formed at a portioncorresponding to the backrest portion 115 and receives therein the seatcatch member 117 adapted to retain the front seat 33 on the vehicle bodyside. Therefore, the recessed portion 116 of the backrest portion 115which is a dead space can effectively be utilized, whereby the storagespace of the storage box 32 can largely be ensured accordingly.

The rear portion 33 b of the front seat 33 overlaps the front portion 34a of the rear seat and the first seal member 94 is partially disposedbelow this overlapping portion. This can further prevent foreign matterfrom entering the storage box 32.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8 whereinthe bottom plate 93 of the rear seat is formed with two left and rightextensions 124L, 124R extending rearwardly and the rear spoiler 35 isformed with two left and right engaging portions 121L, 121R. Theextensions 124L and 124R are engaged with the engaging portions 121L and121R, respectively.

The engagement of the rear seat 34 with the rear spoiler 35 permits therear seat 34 to engage the storage box 32. Thus; it is not necessary toadditionally provide members such as a rib and the like for the storagebox 32. This can mount the rear seat 34 to the storage box 32 withoutreducing the storage space of the storage box 32.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8wherein the bottom plate 93 of the rear seat is formed with two grommets125, 125 serving as fasteners which project downwardly therefrom. Thegrommets are disposed inside the first seal member 94 arranged near thecircumferential edge portion of the rear seat bottom plate 93. Thegrommets 125, 125 are each fitted to a corresponding one of fittingholes 126, 126 formed in the rear spoiler 35, thereby positioning therear seat 34 on the vehicle side.

The first seal member 94 is provided outside the grommets 125, 125 andare pressed against the rear seat-below opening portion 98 in FIG. 6 toseal between the storage box 32 and the outside. The first seal member94 is made of an elastically deformable sponge material.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion denoted with reference numeral11 in FIG. 8.

The second seal member 102 is a lipping seal member configured to have aseal lip. Lip portions 102 come into contact with the circumferentialedge portion 95 of the rear spoiler which is an abutting portion of therear spoiler 35, thereby ensuring a predetermined sealing performance.The second seal member 102 is provided with the seal portions 131. Theabutment of the lip portions 131 against the circumferential edgeportion 95 exhibits an excellent sealing performance.

Referring again to FIG. 8, the second seal member 102 is provided forthe front seat 33 which is frequently opened and closed.

On the other hand, the first seal member 94 made of a convenient andinexpensive sponge material is provided for the rear seat 34 which isless frequently opened and closed than the front seat 33.

In this way, the front seat 33 and the rear seat 34 use the seal memberswith different specifications such as material and structure accordingto the open-close frequency. This makes it possible for each of thefront seat 33 and rear seat 34 to ensure predetermined sealingperformance while suppressing an increase in vehicle cost.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 6. Theleft and right front portions of the rear spoiler 35 are mounted to theleft and right seat rails 141 and 14R via brackets 133L and 133R,respectively. In FIG. 12, a fastening member 132 is provided forsecuring the rear spoiler 35 to each of the brackets 133L, 133R.

As described above, the first member 94 is provided for the bottom plate93 of the rear seat and is pressed against the circumferential edgeportion 95 of the opening 92 to seal between the rear seat 34 and therear spoiler 35.

In addition, a labyrinth structure 123 is arranged between the rearspoiler 35 and the bottom plate 93 of the rear seat so as tosubstantially overlap the first seal member 94 as viewed from above.

More specifically, the first seal member 94 seals between the bottomplate 93 of the rear seat and the rear spoiler 35 and the labyrinthstructure 123 seals between the rear spoiler 35 and the storage box 32and also between the bottom plate 93 of the rear seat and the rearspoiler 35. Thus, sealing performance between the rear seat 34 and thestorage box 32 can effectively be enhanced.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 6. Theleft and right front portions of the storage box 32 are mounted to theleft and right seat rails 141 and 14R via box fastening members 132 and132, and via the brackets 133L and 133R, respectively.

The storage box 32 is provided with rear seat support portions 122adapted to support the load of the rear seat 34. The rear seat supportportions 122 support the rear seat 34.

More specifically, the rear spoiler 35 is provided with through-holes134, 134 in order to directly apply the load of the rear seat 34 to therear seat support portions 122. A portion of the storage box 32 isallowed to face the through-holes 134, 134, forming the rear seatsupport portions 122, 122. The bottom plate 93 of the rear seat isabutted against the rear seat support portions 122, 122 to support theload of the rear seat 34.

Thus, it is not necessary for the rear spoiler 35 to receive the load ofthe rear seat 34, which simplifies the structure of the rear spoiler 35,suppressing an increase in the weight of the rear spoiler 35.

As described above, the first member 94 is provided for the bottom plate93 of the rear seat and is pressed against the circumferential edgeportion 95 of the opening portion 92 to seal between the rear seat 34and the rear spoiler 35.

The labyrinth structure 123 seals between the storage box 32 and therear spoiler 35. The first seal member 94 provided for the rear seat 34seals between the rear spoiler 35 and the rear seat 34. In addition, thefirst seal member 94 is arranged to substantially overlap the labyrinthstructure 123 as viewed from above and to extend closer to the center ofthe vehicle body than the rear seat support portion 122.

The labyrinth structure 123 is additionally provided between the storagebox 32 and the rear seat 34 so as to substantially overlap the firstseal member 94 as viewed from above. Therefore, not only the sealingperformance between the storage box 32 and the rear spoiler 35 can beensured but the sealing performance between the rear seat 34 and therear spoiler 35 can further be enhanced. Thus, the sealing performancebetween the rear seat 34 and the storage box 32.

Since the first seal member 94 is arranged to extend closer to thecenter of the vehicle body than the rear seat support portion 122, asealing performance occurs between the rear seat 34 and the storage box32 while the storage box 32 supports the rear seat 34.

Referring again to FIG. 6, the bottom plate 93 of the rear seat 34 isabutted against the rear seat support portions 122, 122 provided for thestorage box 32, the extensions 124L and 124R in FIG. 9 are engaged withthe engaging portions 121L and 121R, respectively, and the grommets 125,125 in FIG. 10 are engaged with the engaging holes 126, 126. Thus, therear seat 34 can be mounted to the vehicle body side.

The rear spoiler 35 extends forward of the rear seat support portions122, 122 supporting the rear seat 34 from below. The rear spoiler 35 asmentioned above is provided with the through-holes 134, 134 adapted todirectly apply the load of the rear seat 34 to the rear seat supportportions 122.

Since the rear spoiler 35 extends forward of the rear seat supportportions 122, the external appearance of the vehicle can further beenhanced. The rear spoiler 35 is provided with the through-holes 134,134 adapted to directly apply the load of the rear seat 34 to the rearseat 34. Therefore, the load of the rear seat 34 can be supported bycomponents other than the rear spoiler 35 without impairing the externalappearance of the vehicle. It is not necessary for the rear spoiler 35to support the load of the rear seat 34; therefore, it is not necessaryto increase the strength of the rear spoiler 35, which can reduce theweight of the rear spoiler 35.

Since the rear spoiler 35 is not provided with the rear seat supportportion 122, preferably the rear spoiler 35 can more easily be replacedaccording to user's predilection as compared with the case where therear spoiler 35 is provided with the rear support portion 122.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 12, the engaging portions 121L, 121R areprovided inside the first seal member 94, the rear seat support portions122, 122 are provided outside the first seal member 94 and rearward ofthe vehicle body and the labyrinth structure 123 is provided near thefirst seal member 94. Thus, the stable sealing performance can beprovided between the rear seat 34 and the storage box 32 along theentire circumference of the opening portion 92.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the rear spoiler 35 is provided withthe engaging portions 121L and 121R engageable, respectively, with theextensions 124L and 124R extending rearward from the bottom plate 93 ofthe rear seat, additionally providing the labyrinth structure 123. Thus,the stable sealing performance can be provided between the rear seat 34and the storage box 32.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view for assistance in explainingcomponents attached to the storage box from above according to thepresent invention. The storage box 32, for example a stuff box, openingupwardly is provided near the front seat 33 and is connected to thefront portion of the storage box 32 and is disposed to openably closethe storage box. A storage box cover 135 formed in an almost-U shapeclosed at its rear portion as viewed from above is attached to cover therear portion of the storage box 32. The rear spoiler 35 is disposedabove the storage box cover 135 and the rear seat 34 is disposed abovethe rear spoiler 35 and rearwardly of the front seat 33. In short, therear spoiler 35 is disposed between the storage box 32 and the rear seat34.

The rear spoiler 35 is a foundry piece cast from light metal and itsupper surface 136 is covered by a spoiler cover 137 also serving as adecorative cover except a portion against which the first seal member 94in FIG. 6 is abutted.

Since the spoiler cover 137 also serving as a decorative cover isprovided on the upper surface 136 of the rear spoiler 35, the backgroundof the surface of the rear spoiler 35 is formed by casting, therebyimproving the external appearance of the rear spoiler 35.

With reference to FIGS. 8, 12 and 13, since the rear spoiler 35 isformed by casting, even if the first seal member 94 is pressed againstthe circumferential edge portion 95, as the abutment portion, formed inthe rear spoiler 35, the circumferential edge portion 95 can be madeless deformable, thereby ensuring predetermined sealing performance.

The rear spoiler 35 is disposed above and close to the storage box 32and the labyrinth structure 123 seals between the left portion 35 c,right portion 35 d and rear portion 35 e of the rear spoiler and thestorage box 32. Similarly, the labyrinth structure 123 seals between theleft portion 35 c and right portion 35 d of the rear spoiler and therear seat 34. Since the labyrinth structure 123 is disposed tosubstantially overlap the first seal member 94 as viewed from above, thesealing performance between the storage box 32 and the rear seat 34 canbe ensured. Thus, the sealing performance of the storage box rearportion 32 b can effectively be enhanced.

A description is next made of the motorcycle described above in whichthe rear spoiler is disposed on the periphery of the rear seat, which isprovided with the opening portion.

FIG. 15 is an operation diagram for assistance in explaining the factthat the front seat is provided on the storage box in an openable andclosable manner and the rear seat is provided in a removable manner.

The rear spoiler 35 is provided with the opening portion 92. When therear seat 34 is removed, an article 141 can be put in and taken outthrough the opening portion 92.

More specifically, the front seat 33 is raised with the hinge portion 81as an axis in the direction of arrow “a” and next the rear seat 34 isremoved in the direction of arrow “b.” A hand 142 is inserted from abovethe opening portion 29 into the storage box 32 while confirming it.Thus, an article 141 stored below the rear seat 34 is identified andtaken out or the article is put therein.

As described above, since the opening portion 92 is provided below therear seat 34, identification of and taking in and out of the article 141stored in the rear portion of the storage box 32 can be facilitatedextremely easily. In FIG. 15, a helmet He is illustrated in the storagebox 32.

The first seal member 94 is provided on the bottom plate 93 of the rearseat to seal the opening portion 92 and pressed against thecircumferential edge portion 95 of the opening portion 92 to sealbetween the rear seat 34 and the rear spoiler 35. This ensures thesealing performance for the opening portion 92.

FIG. 16 is a lateral view of a radiator unit provided for the motorcycleof the present invention and FIG. 17 is a perspective view of theradiator unit. The radiator unit is described with reference to FIGS. 16and 17.

A cross pipe 140 a spans between the upper portions of down frames 13L,13R and similarly a cross pipe 140 b spans between the lower portionsthereof. Brackets portions 143 and 143 extend forward from the crosspipes 140 a and 140 b, respectively. A radiator unit 51 is mounted tothe bracket portions 143, 143 so as to rise upwardly.

A return pipe 144 is disposed between the radiator unit 51 and theengine 42 in FIG. 2 to be adapted to return cooling liquid from theengine 42 and a supply pipe 145 is disposed therebetween to be adaptedto supply the cooling fluid to the engine 42. A pipe 146 extendsupwardly from the upper end portion 51 t of the radiator unit 51. Asub-pipe 147 is connected to the pipe 146 and to the cooling fluidreservoir tank 52. If the cooling fluid is insufficient, cooling fluidis supplied to the radiator unit 51 through the sub-pipe 147.

A cooling fan 149 is attached to the rear surface of the radiator unit51. When the radiator unit 51 rises in temperature, the fan 149 isrotated to control the temperature of the radiator unit 51 within apredetermined range.

During the travel of the vehicle, running air flowing from the frontpasses through the radiator unit 51 to cool it.

The cooling fluid reservoir tank 52 adapted to store excess coolingfluid therein is a tank disposed on the right side of the radiator unit51 and is attached to the radiator unit 51 via small brackets 133, 133.

Since the cooling liquid reservoir tank 52 is disposed on the side ofthe radiator unit 51, a limited space in the vehicle can effectively befully utilized.

In FIG. 16, a horn unit 150 for warning is provided together with afirst reinforcing member 156 and a second reinforcing member 157.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion denoted with reference numeral18 in FIG. 1. A turn restriction stopper 151 of the front fork 36includes a claw stopper member 153 and plate-like gusset members 154,154 (only reference numeral 154 on the front side is shown). The clawstopper member 153 extends upwardly from the rear upper surface of abottom bridge 152. The gusset members 154, 154 extends from therespective joints between the head pipe 11 and down frames 13L, 13R(only reference numeral 13L is shown) along the down frames 13L, 13R.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18. Theturn restriction stopper 151 prevents the steering handlebar 41 fromturning at a predetermined angle or more by abutting the stopper member153 against each of a pair of left and right abutment walls 155, 155,between each of the abutment walls 155, 155 and the stopper member 153.The abutment walls 155, 155 are formed on the inside surfaces of thegusset members 154, 154, respectively. The stopper member 153 is formedto extend upwardly from the bottom bridge 152.

The turn restriction stopper 151 configured as above can easily reducethe weight of the bottom bridge 152 as compared with the case where twostoppers are respectively provided on the left and right positions onthe bottom bridge side.

Most of the stopper member 153 formed on the end of the bottom bridge152 are covered by the left and right gusset members 154, 154 as viewedfrom the side. Therefore, the stopper member 153 can be madeinconspicuous to enhance the external appearance of the vehicle.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view for assistance in explaining a pivotportion of the motorcycle according to the present invention. FIG. 21 isa cross-sectional view for assistance in explaining a mechanism forholding the pivot portion. The pivot portion is described below withreference to FIGS. 20 and 21.

A pivot portion 161 includes the pivot plates 21L, 21R and the left andright link members 22L, 22R (the left link member 22L is hidden in thefigure) as main constituents. The pivot plate 21L spans between the leftseat rail 14L and the middle frame 17L at a position near anintermediate point 16L of the seat rail 14L. The pivot plate 21R isarranged on the right side similarly to the pivot plate 21L arranged onthe left side. The left and right link members 22L, 22R are providedbetween the left and right pivot plates 21L, 21R so as to be turnablearound the pivot shaft 19. The pivot portion 161 supports the power unit24 provided on the left side via the support shaft 23 spanning betweenthe link members 22L, 22R and the rear swing arm 87 in FIG. 3 disposedon the right side.

A swing restriction shaft 162, adapted to restrict the up and down swingof the power unit 24, is provided to extend obliquely forwardly andupwardly of the vehicle from the support shaft 23. A plate-like bracket133 is spanned between the seat rail 14R and the middle frame 17R. Theswing restriction shaft 162 is attached to the bracket 133 throughrubber bushings 163 a, 163 b.

More specifically, a washer 164 a as a flange member is secured to theswing restriction shaft 162. The rubber bushing 163 a, the bracket 133,the rubber bushing 163 b and the washer 164 b are inserted onto theswing restriction shaft 162 in this order and fastened with a nut member165.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view for assistance in explaining anarrangement of an audio-operating unit included in the motorcycleaccording to the present invention. An audio-operating portion 167 isinstalled above a cover member 169 provided at a straddle portion of themotorcycle and rearward of and close to the head pipe 11 with left andright speakers 171L and 171R, respectively.

The audio-operating unit 167 is installed above the cover member 169 andto the rear of and close to the head pipe 11. Thus, it can be disposedclose to the steering handlebar 41 in a compact manner without aninfluence on the cover member 169.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a storage box according to anotherembodiment. A storage box 32 is provided at its upper edge portion withhelmet hooks 172L, 127R that are close respectively to left and rightnotched portions 173, 173 receiving the load of the seat.

Conventionally, if a helmet hook is provided near a seat hinge and ahelmet is hung on the helmet hook, then the helmet cannot be hung insome cases because of coming into contact with a floor tunnel as thestraddle portion.

In FIG. 23, since the helmet hooks 172L, 172R are provided closerespectively to the left and right notch portions 173, 173, helmets canreliably hang on the helmet hooks 172L, 172R.

FIG. 24 illustrates another one of the embodiment show in FIG. 16. Thisembodiment is different from that shown in FIG. 16 in that a coolingliquid reservoir tank 52B is disposed to the rear of the radiator unit51 and laterally to the fuel tank 43. The reservoir tank 52B is mountedto the down frame 13R.

FIGS. 25( a) and 25(b) include an embodiment view and a comparativeexample view for assistance in explaining a joint line between a frontseat and a rear seat.

FIG. 25( a) illustrates an embodiment, in which a joint line 183 isapproximately W-shaped as viewed from above the vehicle between thefront seat 33 and the rear seat 34. FIG. 25( b) illustrates acomparative example, in which a joint line 183B is approximatelyU-shaped between a front seat 33B and a rear seat 34B.

In FIG. 25( a), the front end portion of the rear seat 34, namely, foursurfaces 181 a to 181 d having respective directions different from oneanother are abutted against the rear end portion of the front seat 33.In contrast, in FIG. 25( b), two surfaces 182 a, 182 b having respectivedirections different from each other are abutted against the front endportion of the rear seat 34B.

In this case, as the number of surfaces abutted against is increased,the play between the seats is more reduced, which makes the meshingbetween the front seat and the rear seat satisfactory. Accordingly, whenclosed, the seats in FIG. 25( a) become harder to shift from theirpredetermined positions from front to back and side to side than thosein FIG. 25( b). Since each of the front seat 33 and the rear seat 34becomes hard to shift from front to back and side to side, it can bemore accurately positioned at its predetermined position.

When closed, the front seat 33 and the rear seat 34 become hard to shiftfrom front to back and side to side and positioned at theirpredetermined positions accurately. Therefore, the sealing performancebetween the front seat 33 and the storage box (reference numeral 32 ofFIG. 1) and the sealing performance between the rear seat 34 and thestorage box 32 can further be stabilized. Since the sealing performancebetween each of the front and rear seats 33, 34 and the storage box 32is further stabilized, the sealing performance of the storage box 32 canfurther be enhanced.

That is to say, the joint line 183 between the rear end portion of thefront seat 33 and the front end portion of the rear seat 34 is formed inan approximate W-shape. Thus, the meshing of the front seat 33 with therear seat 34 becomes satisfactory. Since the relative position betweenthe seats is stabilized, the sealing performance between the storage box32 and the seats can further be stabilized.

In the present embodiment, a backrest portion 184 is provided integrallywith the rear portion of the front seat 33 so as to project upwardly.

In the present embodiment, the joint line 183 is provided with fourdifferent surfaces 181 a to 181 d, which are formed outwardly in thewidth direction of the vehicle as a whole, compared with the joint line183B of the comparative example. Therefore, the upper surface Q of thebackrest portion 184 can be formed as a single wide surface. Thisbackrest portion 184 also has a function of being gripped by the pillionpassenger's thighs when mounting on the vehicle. Since the upper surfaceQ of the backrest portion 184 is formed as the single wide surface, thepillion passenger's comfort can be enhanced to further enhance amenity.

FIGS. 26( a) and 26(b) include views for assistance in explaining theembodiment and comparative example relating to comfort encountered whena pillion passenger sits on the rear seat, illustrating the state wherethe pillion passenger P sits on the rear seat 34.

In FIG. 26( a), the upper surface Q of the backrest portion 184 has alarge area. Thus, the pillion passenger P can put her or his thighs onthe upper surface Q so that she or he can sit at ease.

In FIG. 26( b), the upper surface Qb of the backrest portion 184B has asmaller area than that of the embodiment. In this case, the pillionpassenger P puts her or his thighs on the almost central position of thejoint line 183B. There is room for improvement in comfort.

In short, according to the present invention, since the upper surface ofthe backrest is formed as a single surface, comfort for the pillionpassenger is enhanced to further enhance amenity.

In addition, it is reasonable that the front end portion of the rearspoiler is disposed to the rear of the rear seat support portion.

Further, the first seal member may be designed to extend the vehiclebody-outside of the rear seat support portion. Further it is reasonablethat the first seal member is disposed relative to the vehicle bodyforward of the engaging portion.

The present invention is suitable for use in a motorcycle provided witha storage box below an occupant's seat.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A motorcycle comprising: a rear seat disposed rearwardly of a frontseat; a storage box provided below the rear seat; and a rear spoilerprovided between the storage box and the rear seat; wherein the storagebox is provided with a rear seat support portion supporting a load ofthe rear seat; the rear spoiler is provided with an engaging portionengageable with an extension extending rearwardly from a bottom plate ofthe rear seat; and the rear seat support portion and the engagingportion allow the rear seat to be mounted to the motorcycle.
 2. Themotorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the rear spoiler extendsforward of the rear seat support portion and is provided with athrough-hole adapted to directly apply the load of the rear seat to therear seat support portion.
 3. The motorcycle according to claim 2,wherein the front seat and the rear seat are formed separately from eachother, a rear end portion of the front seat is disposed to join to afront end portion of the rear seat, sealing is provided below the joinedportions, and a joint line between the rear end portion of the frontseat and the front end portion of the rear seat is formed in anapproximate W-shape.
 4. The motorcycle according to claim 2 wherein arear portion of the front seat is provided integrally with a backrestportion projecting upwardly.
 5. The motorcycle according to claim 1,wherein a labyrinth structure seals between the storage box and the rearspoiler, and a first seal member provided for the rear seat sealsbetween the rear spoiler and the rear seat, is located to substantiallyoverlap the labyrinth structure as viewed from above and extends closerto a vehicle body center than the rear seat support portion.
 6. Themotorcycle according to claim 5, wherein the first seal member extendsrearwardly of the engaging portion in terms of the vehicle body.
 7. Themotorcycle according to claim 6, wherein the front seat and the rearseat are formed separately from each other, a rear end portion of thefront seat is disposed to join to a front end portion of the rear seat,sealing is provided below the joined portions, and a joint line betweenthe rear end portion of the front seat and the front end portion of therear seat is formed in an approximate W-shape.
 8. The motorcycleaccording to claim 5, wherein the front seat and the rear seat areformed separately from each other, a rear end portion of the front seatis disposed to join to a front end portion of the rear seat, sealing isprovided below the joined portions, and a joint line between the rearend portion of the front seat and the front end portion of the rear seatis formed in an approximate W-shape.
 9. The motorcycle according toclaim 1, wherein the front seat and the rear seat are formed separatelyfrom each other, a rear end portion of the front seat is disposed tojoin to a front end portion of the rear seat, sealing is provided belowthe joined portions, and a joint line between the rear end portion ofthe front seat and the front end portion of the rear seat is formed inan approximate W-shape.
 10. The motorcycle according to claim 9, whereinthe rear portion of the front seat is provided integrally with abackrest portion projecting upwardly.
 11. A storage box adapted to beused with a motorcycle comprising: a front seat for accommodating arider; a rear seat disposed rearwardly of the front seat, said rear seatfor accommodating a passenger; a storage box provided below the rearseat; a rear spoiler provided between the storage box and the rear seat;a rear seat support portion provided on the storage box, said rear seatsupport portion supporting a load of the rear seat; an engaging portionprovided on the rear spoiler, said engaging portion engageable with anextension extending rearwardly from a bottom plate of the rear seat;wherein the rear seat support portion and the engaging portion allow therear seat to be mounted to the motorcycle.
 12. The storage box adaptedto be used with a motorcycle according to claim 11, wherein the rearspoiler extends forward of the rear seat support portion and is providedwith a through-hole adapted to directly apply the load of the rear seatto the rear seat support portion.
 13. The storage box adapted to be usedwith a motorcycle according to claim 12, wherein the front seat and therear seat are formed separately from each other, a rear end portion ofthe front seat is disposed to join to a front end portion of the rearseat, sealing is provided below the joined portions, and a joint linebetween the rear end portion of the front seat and the front end portionof the rear seat is formed in an approximate W-shape.
 14. The storagebox adapted to be used with a motorcycle according to claim 12 wherein arear portion of the front seat is provided integrally with a backrestportion projecting upwardly.
 15. The storage box adapted to be used witha motorcycle according to claim 11, wherein a labyrinth structure sealsbetween the storage box and the rear spoiler, and a first seal memberprovided for the rear seat seals between the rear spoiler and the rearseat, is located to substantially overlap the labyrinth structure asviewed from above and extends closer to a vehicle body center than therear seat support portion.
 16. The storage box adapted to be used with amotorcycle according to claim 15, wherein the first seal member extendsrearwardly of the engaging portion in terms of the vehicle body.
 17. Thestorage box adapted to be used with a motorcycle according to claim 16,wherein the front seat and the rear seat are formed separately from eachother, a rear end portion of the front seat is disposed to join to afront end portion of the rear seat, sealing is provided below the joinedportions, and a joint line between the rear end portion of the frontseat and the front end portion of the rear seat is formed in anapproximate W-shape.
 18. The storage box adapted to be used with amotorcycle according to claim 15, wherein the front seat and the rearseat are formed separately from each other, a rear end portion of thefront seat is disposed to join to a front end portion of the rear seat,sealing is provided below the joined portions, and a joint line betweenthe rear end portion of the front seat and the front end portion of therear seat is formed in an approximate W-shape.
 19. The storage boxadapted to be used with a motorcycle according to claim 11, wherein thefront seat and the rear seat are formed separately from each other, arear end portion of the front seat is disposed to join to a front endportion of the rear seat, sealing is provided below the joined portions,and a joint line between the rear end portion of the front seat and thefront end portion of the rear seat is formed in an approximate W-shape.20. The storage box adapted to be used with a motorcycle according toclaim 19, wherein the rear portion of the front seat is providedintegrally with a backrest portion projecting upwardly.